You Can't Go Home Again
by JadeSelena
Summary: Post Ep. 4 of reboot BH90210. Tori knows her feelings for Brian are dangerous but she just can't resist. Fictionalized real people.


**If you're here because of a notification that I posted something I'm going to apologize now because this is _not _one of the stories I'm meant to be working on. But I love the 90210 reboot and I literally woke up with this plot bunny stuck in my head and needed to get it out so I can get back to my other stories.**

**I normally stay away from real people fic but they're *fictionalized* real people so that makes it okay, I guess? Tori and Brian's friendship is too cute and since the show opened the door on Tori's feelings for him in my mind it's fair game.**

**I hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

Jennie looked apologetically up from her cell. "It's Tori. If I don't answer, the next time I talk to her she might have adopted an emu." Seeing Wyatt's expression she tacked on a muttered, "I wish I was kidding," before accepting the call.

"_Jen?"_

"Tor."

"_Jen."_

"_Tori_…"

"_Jennie…"_

Sometimes her best friend made her want to tear her hair out… "I'm out with Wyatt, Tor."

"_Ooh! Tell him and his biceps I say hi! Wait… is that inappropriate now that you're dating him?"_

Jennie rolled her eyes. "It wasn't appropriate _before_ I started dating him."

"_It's okay *now,* though? Good to know."_

Shaking her head in exasperation, Jennie mentally urged the other girl to get on with it. "So, did you call for a reason, or…" There was a long moment of silence.

"_No. It's fine. Get back to your date. Call me later."_

The babbling said it was _not_ fine… "Tor…"

"_I'm seriously freaking out here, Jen!"_

Concern overshadowed frustration. "Why? What's wrong?"

"_Well, I was walking out with Brian after we talked to the investigators and I joked that since our set went up in flames it gave us time to rehearse."_

"Tori!" Jennie barked in surprise.

"_I know! *Totally* not subtle."_

Jennie scrunched up her nose. "No – I meant that it's kinda _dark_." More like something _she_ would say.

"_Oh. Well, you know I always look for a silver lining… Anyways, he *agreed.* And now I'm supposed to meet him in an hour to run through our scenes."_

"And?" Assuming her best friend was okay spending time with the ex she suddenly had feelings for again, Jennie failed to see the problem_._

"_And? AND?! There's a *sex scene,* Jennie!"_

Deeming it safe, Jennie brought the phone back to her ear. "Tor, you know you're not _actually_ having sex with him, right?"

"_No, but there'll be lots of kissing and touching, Jen. Or have you forgotten how that works?"_

Jennie ignored Wyatt's amused chuckle. "Okay, but we don't normally rehearse those parts." Not unless they were using it as an excuse to make out, anyway…

"_Not *normally,* no. But it's been twenty years – what if he thinks we need to?"_

"Tori, I'm pretty sure neither of you have forgotten how to have pretend sex." From what she'd heard Tori was probably better at it now than _actual_ sex…

"_Why are we having so much sex, *anyway?* How old is this chick that she thinks we're still going at it like rabbits twenty years and a couple of teenagers later? Clearly she hasn't been married *or* had kids…"_

"Clearly," Jennie echoed supportively.

"_And what am I supposed to tell Nate? He thinks I put the ix-nay on all the Silvers' sexy ime-tay. He's worried I'm going to start having feelings for Brian again."_

She said that like he hadn't already been proven _right_ to be worried… "Babe, why don't you just call Brian and cancel? Tell him one of your hockey team came down with croup or something."

"_Jennie! I can't do that!"_

"Why not?" Seemed pretty simple to her.

"_Well, for one, I won't use any of my babies that way; with my luck they'd actually *get* sick. And for two… I don't want to."_

Jennie mimed shooting herself. "You're playing with fire here, Babe."

"_I know! But he's happily married – even if we do end up rehearsing the sexy stuff, what's the worst that can happen?"_

Other than her already-treacherous crush being kicked into overdrive? "You know no one in the history of the world has ever said that and not regretted it, right? You're just inviting the drama. Making it a 'Welcome' banner and everything." It hadn't escaped Jennie's attention that her best friend hadn't claimed the 'happily married' title for herself…

"_Drama is how I feed eight mouths, Jen."_

Jennie closed her eyes, feeling a familiar migraine coming on. "You know I'm going to tell you this is a bad idea."

"_Uh-huh."_

"And _I _know you're going to do it anyway." Wasn't a doubt in her mind.

"_Yup."_

_Ugh! _Tamping down on a flare of irritation Jennie opened her eyes to huff, "So why _call_?"

"_Because I know how much you like saying 'I told you so.' Figured I'd let you in on the ground floor on this one."_

Jennie's chuckle turned into a heavy sigh. "I just don't want to see you get hurt, Babe." Or turn all their lives upside-down.

"_I know. Have fun with Wyatt, okay? Get him to flex for you!"_

The line was disconnected before Jennie could advise her best friend to not have _too much_ fun. Putting her phone away she shook her head incredulously. "She's emotionally stunted at eighteen."

Wyatt smiled. "But you love her anyway."

"Lord help me, I love her anyway."

* * *

Tori stopped at the entrance of their real-life Peach Pit – aka Jason's club – to rearrange her flowy skirt and self-consciously check her makeup in the glass.

Approaching her from behind, Brian stood over her shoulder so she could see him in the reflection. "You look great."

"Bri!" she shouted in surprise, spinning around to face him. "I thought you were already inside. I was just…" She scrambled for an excuse. "…I was crying on the way over so I was just making sure this waterproof mascara was worth the kidney I traded for it."

"Everything okay?" he frowned, gently running the pad of his thumb beneath her eye and holding it out to show her it was clear.

Having short-circuited at his touch, Tori's brain recovered just enough for her brow to furrow. "Yeah – why wouldn't it be?"

"Uh…" Brian tilted his head quizzically. "Because you were _crying_?"

"Oh, that! _Yeah_." She let out a nervous laugh. "Just stress, you know? The network is pushing to put the reboot on hold until the stalker slash arsonist can be found. Something about a liability risk." It wasn't a lie. It _was_ something she wasn't supposed to share with the others. _Whoopsie_.

"I'm sorry, Tor." Setting aside his own feelings about it he pulled her in for a hug. "I know how hard you worked for this."

Tori allowed herself a minute to revel in the contact – inhaling his scent so different and yet still so recognizable – before reluctantly backing away. And then realized that her little admission had another unintended effect: "Uh… so I guess there's really no reason to do this, huh? If we're not gonna be shooting any time soon." She was both relieved and disappointed.

Brian shook his head. "It's not for sure, right? Might as well be prepared." Not to mention he'd been looking forward to the temporary reprieve from all of his own problems.

Of course he was going to be all Boy Scout about it… Both relieved _and_ disappointed, she exaggerated her enthusiasm with a clap of the hands. "Great! We should get to it, then!"

Nodding, he moved past her to open the door. "Milady."

Tori instinctively dropped into a curtsy and adopted a southern accent. "Well, thank you, kind sir." Waving absentmindedly at the concierge, she silently berated herself all the way to the elevator. _Seriously, Tor? Curtsying? How old *are* you?_

Brian lifted an eyebrow when she smashed the button for their floor and muttered '_fudgsicles_!' under her breath. "Problem?"

"Nope. No problem."_ Just wondering what in the heck I was thinking…_

Yeah – _that_ was believable… When the doors opened he started towards the bar proper. "You seem like you could use a drink. I'll meet you at the table."

Tori tossed her briefcase onto the sofa and slumped down next to it._ Come on, Spelling; you're a grown woman now, remember? You know that just because a guy's nice doesn't mean he 'like' likes you… Yeah, but he *did* say he's always trusted you and that you're a force of nature and in a league of your own… That doesn't mean anything, though; he's just sweet like that. _"Shut up!" she hissed at the warring factions of her mind.

"Uh…" Brian came to a stop in front of her. "I didn't say anything."

There probably wasn't a shade of pink in nature that would match Tori's face at that moment. "Not you," she quickly assured him. "You ever get a song stuck in your head that just won't quit?"_ Nice save, Tor._

Giving her her cocktail Brian nodded. "Which one?"

"Oh, uh…" _Think, Tor. Think. And stay away from the cheesy love ballads…_ "The SpongeBob theme song. You know: 'Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?'"

"'Absorbent and yellow and porous is he.'" Brian sang the next line. "You know, we should really get the kids together some time. With your brood we must have some that are pretty close in age." His grin let her know he was teasing.

Even though Nate was trying to set up play dates with Shay, Tori was absolutely certain he would _not_ appreciate her doing the same with Brian… "Sure. Sounds like fun!" _*Bad* save, Tor…_

Brian repositioned her bag so he could sit. "Tonight's on me, by the way. Get whatever you want." She had enough on her plate without having to worry about her tab, too.

_Aww… _"Thanks, Bri," she smiled gratefully, ignoring the way her heart sped up at his thoughtfulness. And his proximity.

"Oh, I forgot to bring my script." It must have slipped his mind with all the Shay's leaked music stuff and the Zach being his son stuff and the _other_ crazed stalker stuff.

Tori gave his leg a comforting pat. "Don't worry – I have extra." She had never been so appreciative of

the 'mom' tendency to overpack that would keep them from having to share a copy… "But I was thinking we could go over backstory first; figure out where we're coming from. I mean, we know David's a public defender and Donna has her own fashion house, but what have they been doing for the past twenty years?"

Brian hadn't even thought to think of that. "Isn't that the writer's job?"

He wasn't wrong, but she didn't have to reach very far for a reason: "Uh, the _writer_ has them partaking in a little afternoon delight on the kitchen island and their teenage daughter walking in on them…" Unrealistic and also _ew._

"Good point," he allowed, glad he wasn't alone in his doubts. "So what were you thinking?"

_So far so good… _"Well, they've been married a long time, right? Spent most of it focused on their careers and the kids? So 'Donna and David' probably took a backseat and they're a little disconnected. More like roommates than lovers."

Brian narrowed his eyes skeptically. "Where are you going with this, Tor?"

"Just bear with me for a sec…" Leaning into him she gestured to the horizon as though presenting an image. "Their last baby's going off to college and suddenly they find themselves with an empty nest and the harsh realization that they've drifted apart and have no idea how to undo it. Drama and hijinks ensue as they _valiantly_ struggle to find each other again and get their groove back."

Her excitement was contagious, and he couldn't help but laugh at her animated delivery. "You really think that would work?"

He'd turned his face towards her, so close that she could feel his breath on her cheek, and she pulled away as fast as she could without it being obvious. "Oh, yeah: _totally_ interesting and relatable. _And_ it'll give us a chance to show off our comedic chops." _Please don't remember I said it isn't supposed to be a comedy…_

He had to admit it seemed more promising than what they'd been given so far; there were only so many sex scenes they could do before their audience got bored with it. And _them. _"Alright. I'm in if you can swing it."

"Great!" she exclaimed, a little more enthusiastically than was probably warranted from his point of view. "I'll call Anna in the morning!" The next hour was spent fleshing out the missing years, each bringing up little details to use from the original series that the other had long forgotten. Nostalgia had fully kicked in and she realized she'd missed him – and _this_ – more than she'd thought possible. That somehow it felt normal and natural and _not_ _at all_ like a fifth of a century had passed.

"I missed this," Brian admitted, finishing off his second drink. "I love being a full-time dad, watching the kids grow up. But it's nice to have my own thing again, you know? Adult conversation that doesn't revolve around Shay's career."

Tori sighed happily. "I know. When I started this it was mostly about the money, but now I think I'd do it for free if I had to. Being with you guys again; following in my dad's footsteps…"

Brian bumped her shoulder with his. "And doing a damn good job of it…"

"I'm not so sure about that," she argued, this time with an _un_happy sigh. "I'd say let's see if we get a second season first, but that would require getting _this one_ off the ground…" Which was looking less and less likely every day.

_Why does she always have to do that?_ Taking her hand in his, Brian waited for her to look at him. "I have complete faith that you're going to do whatever you have to do to make that happen." He just wished she would have that same faith in _herself_.

Tori thought she'd done a pretty good job of keeping her feelings under control so far – other than a few friendly touches here and there from both sides – but she wasn't sure how long she could keep it up with him saying things like that and looking at her like he genuinely _meant_ them… Reclaiming her hand she got to her feet. "It's getting pretty late. I should probably get back to the kiddos."

And also not get so embarrassed by a _compliment_… "It's barely 8'oclock and we haven't even cracked the script yet." When she didn't appear swayed he resorted to his secret weapon: "And I was just about to order us something to eat."

_Dammit._ Her lips fell into a betrayed pout. "Have you been taking lessons from Shannen?" How could she possibly be expected to resist him _and_ food? She was only human, after all…

"Maybe," he laughed, standing and easing her back down into her seat. "Or maybe I just know you better than you think I do." To be fair, though, _everyone _knew that about her…

Tori groaned as she watched him walk away, then reached for her phone to check in before thinking better of it. She didn't really want to deal with Nate right now; there'd be time enough for an interrogation when she got home. That is, if he wasn't already snoring away on the sofa…

Order placed, Brian returned with fresh drinks and gestured to the documents neatly laid out on the table. "Should I be insulted that you're trying to get this over with as quickly as possible?" She definitely knew how to send a message.

"I'm not," she lied, not very smoothly. "You know me – I had to keep myself busy somehow while you were gone. Idle hands make idle minds." _Or something like that._

He wasn't sure he believed her – especially not with the accompanying jazz hands – but he let it go. "Well, before you rush out of here I think we need to go over how we're going to play the physical stuff. If we're doing the 'getting their groove back' thing then it can't be too much. But if it's too _little_ the fans won't like it." They needed to find a happy medium.

Tori thought they'd already settled this; she'd congratulated herself for her genius and everything… "'Little' is good, Bri. 'Little' is realistic, you know? They've been married twenty years. A peck here and there and the occasional…" She swiped her fist across his bicep. "'Go get 'em, Tiger!'"

Brian's earlier insecurity resurfaced with a vengeance, his brow knitting with pained understanding. "Tor, did you suggest they'd lost their 'groove' just so there wouldn't have to be any physical stuff?"

"What? No! Why would I…" Dropping the pretense she quietly confessed, "Okay, _yes_. But the storyline makes sense. You _agreed _it makes sense." He couldn't take it back now.

Was she serious? "That was _before_ you had them treating each other like siblings with a communicable disease…" He took a minute to process – to debate whether or not he actually _wanted_ an answer – before asking, "_Why_, Tor?"

It was true: Tori _was_ an open book, and if the 'why' didn't have the potential to destroy both their families _and_ the reboot she would read him the chapter and draw him pictures to boot… "I told you, Bri: Nate's uncomfortable with us playing a couple again given our history."

She didn't seem to be lying but when she'd declared it crazy he'd thought that was the end of it… "Okay, I get that. And it sucks. But you can't just let it dictate our entire storyline, Tor. If you're not gonna let them be a functional couple you might as well just have them be divorced." And that wasn't something he could see _anyone_ getting behind.

"No! Divorce is not an option." While it would make _her_ life easier it would most certainly lead to fan revolt and the end of the show… "But look, if we just take it slow and give Nate some time to come around, I figure by, like, season two we'll have worked our way up to a sex scene." That should be long enough for her horribly inconvenient (and decidedly dangerous) little crush to have run its course.

_Season two? _"Tell me you're kidding right now." Brian was trying to be sympathetic, not knowing what he'd do if the issue was with Shay instead, but he couldn't shake the feeling that she was using her husband as a convenient excuse. That really the problem was _hers_ with _him_. And it hurt.

Okay, so clearly he wasn't on board… "Well, maybe it's for the best, you know? We haven't been together in twenty years; what if we don't have 'it' anymore and it's just a huge 'ole letdown for the fans?" She blew a raspberry and gave a thumbs-down even as she mentally awarded herself a gold star. He wanted the reboot to be perfect maybe even more than she did…

Cocking his head to the side, Brian took a moment to study her. "Do you really think that?" He wondered if that fear was what was holding her back; couldn't say he hadn't had the same thoughts himself.

Finally they seemed to be getting somewhere… "Well, don't you think it's a valid concern? Even back then people said we…" Tori trailed off when his palm met the side of her neck, thumb on her cheek and fingers splayed up into her hair. "Bri?"

Brian quirked a smile, her 'deer in the headlights' expression oddly gratifying. "There's only one way to know for sure, right? Put it to rest?"

If Tori's brain hadn't been in the process of malfunctioning it surely would've been screaming 'Danger, Will Robinson!' "Uh… okay. But can I do a breath check first?" Apparently not, because his free hand had halted the upward progression of her own and suddenly the breath she'd meant to check was escaping into his mouth. Her eyes instinctively closing, she regained her wits just in time to swallow the whimper that threatened to follow her breath.

When lack of air became an issue Brian broke the kiss, resting his forehead against hers. "So?"

Tori schooled her features before pulling away. "Uh… doesn't really matter what I think, does it?" Standing, she smoothed her skirt to hide the fact that her hands were shaking.

Brian watched in wonder (and amusement) as she made her way around the room, polling those who had witnessed the kiss on whether or not it had been believable.

Returning to their table Tori conceded defeat, verbally and emotionally. "You win. We'll play it your way."

She didn't seem too happy with her findings, though, and Brian couldn't understand why. "Tor?"

"I gotta go." She picked up her briefcase and her phone, deftly avoiding his grasp, and as she crossed paths with their waiter she grabbed the first thing that looked relatively portable off his tray with a perfunctory nod of thanks.

Brian realized too late that he _was _the problem, and _her _insecurity had just been another ploy to avoid him. He felt like he'd been punched in the stomach. "Tor, will you please talk to me?"

She ignored his pained plea; didn't stop until she was in the elevator and the doors had closed behind her. A steady intake of french fries kept her from breaking down completely. When she climbed into her van she tossed the half-empty basket in the passenger seat and worked her cell with shaky fingers.

"_Everything okay?"_

At the sound of her best friend's concerned voice Tori let out a bitter laugh turned choked sob. "I should've stabbed him with the lime knife when I had the chance."

"_Oh, honey…"_

"Why does he have to be so… so _him_?" Sweet and caring and sexy and _not her husband._

"_I can be home in fifteen. Meet me there, okay?"_

Tori nodded even though she couldn't see it; swallowed the lump in her throat that warned of tears to come. "Aren't you gonna say 'I told you so?'"

"_Maybe tomorrow… I'll see you soon, okay? Love you."_

"Love you." Disconnecting the call, Tori stared up at the bar for a minute before starting the engine and driving away from the scene of her latest mistake.

* * *

**So I'm not planning on continuing this, but that may change after I see the next episodes (I didn't watch 5 yet because I didn't want it to change anything) and a new plot bunny strikes.**

**Note: I left Brian's feelings intentionally ambiguous because it hasn't been addressed on the show (either implicitly or explicitly) and he has the only good marriage and I won't mess with that. Unless the show tells me it's okay to, of course ;)**

**Thanks for reading!**


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